The League Vs The Heart
by T.T.Bellice
Summary: S.2 Ep. 13 "Heir to the Demon" Alternative Ending. I didn't like how the writers downplayed Nyssa's skills. Let's face it, 5 years training in an island doesn't compare to 20 years training with the League... With potential for more chapters some day in the future if I ever find the time.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan fiction using characters of the TV series "Arrow". The show created by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg and it is aired on The CW. I do not claim any ownership over the characters or the world of the "Arrow". The story I tell here about Nyssa is my own invention, and it is not purported or believed to be part of the creator's story canon. This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official story line. I am not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story. Any characters that are not in the show and created by me are also fictional and any semblance with real people is purely coincidental.

**A/N:** I saw the "Heir to the Demon" in a rerun and it left me disappointed. I am all in for the hero- thing but it wasn't realistic. There is no way in hell that he could defeat Nyssa that easily... I do know martial arts and that's why I'm saying it. So... I came up with this.

Chapter 1

Starling City

The heir was standing behind Oliver Queen, with one knee putting pressure on his back and her dagger dangerously close to his throat. He was too arrogant for her taste and she would really have killed him if her voice haven't stopped her.

"Don't kill him... please!" She begged before she collapsed. And because she loved her she let him go.

He immediately run to the blonde's side and gave her the antidote to the venom. Within seconds she was breathing heavily but she was breathing nonetheless. She looked her in the eyes begging one more time.

"No more killings... Nyssa... please!" Her eyes were pleading and her breaths were still short.

She loved her... She simply and plainly loved her. That's all she knew at the moment. And she tried to take her own life in an act of desperation so she could be free of all the killings the League demanded of her. And of course she wasn't sharing the same feelings as the dark heir. Yet... nothing mattered anymore. Not her father, not the League, not even her own life since she was in danger from her own father once he'd learn of what she was about to do. So the assassin looked at her beautiful blonde, deep in her beloved eyes, and pronounced the dreaded words.

"_Ta-er al-Sahfer_... in the name of _Ra's al Ghul_... I release you!" She whispered the dark assassin.

The blonde had never seen such powerful emotions in the face of the heir. Agony, hurt... love and relief... but then, the mask was back and the beautiful woman in front of her was no longer her ex lover. In front of her was standing tall and regal- in all her glory- Nyssa al Ghul, Heir to the Demon.

The transformation was so quick that took both Oliver and Sarah by surprise even in their condition. And the result was so absolute that made Oliver shudder. The woman in front of him radiated power and demanded respect just with her stance. He didn't want to know what would have happened to him if Sarah hadn't stopped her earlier. He felt like a fool for challenging her before. He wasn't afraid and he didn't regret it. He would do it again if the push came to shove but he had done the mistake of underestimating her. He had six years of training- if someone counted his last year being the vigilante- and Nyssa was training since she was eight- according to the stories he had heard. That made it two decades. A shiver run throughout his body again. He had definitely underestimated her.

"Keep in mind that you have burnt all your bridges with the League. You are not an enemy but you are not a friend either. Your choices from now on is yours to make. But because you have received our training you have to live your life by the League's code. You don't reveal secrets of the League, you don't kill innocent people and most of all, you don't draw attention to the League. Do not make _Al Sa- her's_ mistake. His life is forfeit." Oliver frowned.

"I won't let you kill Malcolm Merlyn!" He stated firmly. The assassin turned to him.

"You have no control over the League's matters Mr. Queen. You are well advised to stay out of our business. Siding with him you make yourself enemy of the League. And since you have appointed yourself the protector of Starling City you make the city a fair game for us. I would be careful if I were you." The threat was subtle but there, as she warned him to tread carefully and then turned back to Sarah. "Farewell." Her tone was not cold per se, more so detached of any emotions. Sarah had no idea how she could change in such a small amount of time. Where was the passionate person that was her ex lover?

"Wait! What are you going to do? Will my release has consequences on you from Ra's?" She wanted out of the League but not if Nyssa would be in trouble.

"That is no concern of yours anymore Ms. Lance." The assassin replied with the same tone and the blonde winced from the use of her birth name. She has always been _Ta-er al-Sahfer _or _habibti_ and that had hit a nerve. The period that shaped her as the person she was today had just came to an end and it hurt like hell.

In a cloud of white smoke, the assassin disappeared instantly from their eyes just as the first sirens of the police were heard in the distance. In the tall building next to the warehouse that the events took place the lone figure stood tall and proud but with a sense of loss.

"_Ila- liqaa'_ _Ta-er al-Sahfer_." She whispered and disappeared into the night...


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for reading. Leave a word to let me know what you think.

**Mydinga**, this is for you. I hope you like it.

Nanda Parbat- 1 Month Later

He entered the cell that held his own flesh and blood on the air with thick steel chains. She had blood all over her and fresh and old wounds that he made himself in her young body. She was his younger daughter and he had great expectations of her. One day she would succeed him and she shouldn't have any distractions and _Ta- er al Sahfer_ was just that. She was not worthy to be a member of the League and sure not worthy of _his_ daughter. He had just let the young blonde stay in the League for as long as she made Nyssa happy. When she hurt her, he had sent for her but he came up empty two times before he had sent his pride and joy to retreat her. But Nyssa had done the unthinkable. She had released the blonde from the League just like that. As if she hadn't see what can happen by the hand of a League member without guidance! He had made the mistake of releasing _Al Sa- her _and for that reason Starling City suffered a great deal. The innocent people that had died because of the "Undertaking" was because of him and it wasn't a habit of his to kill innocents. Unless it was for a purpose in which case the League's code justified it.

He looked at the broken woman in front of him. She nearly died many times. He was a master in torture techniques and he knew how to keep someone alive within an inch of their life. Deprived of food and water for days and then only given the minimum to keep the organs from failure was only one of his methods. Cutting was another one and one of his favorite at that. He loved his sword and two times during the past month he had the pleasure of penetrating her with it. But all that was behind them. He was there to release her from her chains and let her rest for a couple of weeks to recover. After that he would sent her in her new mission in Starling City...

Starling City

The month that followed her sister's arrival was messy. Laurel had no idea what hit her at first and that had as a result to have a quarrel with Sara the night she saw her for the first time. He also had a shouting match with both of her parents. That led to a drinking binge so it was natural the next day to wake up with a killer headache. After an hour at bed and another hour in the shower she decided no more drinking. And since she was a determined woman, she took every bottle of alcohol she found in the apartment and poured them into the kitchen sink. For a week she saw no one and she started thinking about her future. She wasn't sure if she wanted to stay there anymore. Everybody seemed to move on but she was stuck in the past- in all her anger- and in order for her to move on from there she needed to walk away from everything and everyone. But all these thoughts came to an end when her dad pleaded with her to give them another chance at being a family since he had felt a connection with his ex wife and he thought that a family dinner would be a good start and a first step for her to come back from Central City permanently. So, she thought one more try wouldn't hurt anyone and invited them all for dinner that night.

To say that it was awkward and plain disaster would be an understatement. The first sign of trouble was when she saw that Sara had brought Oliver with her. Even her dad was confused about his presence there. The second one was her mother blowing her dad out when she announced that she had no intention of coming back to Starling because of her job and the relationship she was in. And the cherry on the top was when Sara said to their mother that she deserved to be happy- that everybody deserves to be happy- she had looked at Oliver with meaning and Laurel caught it. That was when everything went downhill. She was so pissed that she wasn't sure she could talk properly but because she couldn't hold it together she did the only thing she could think of to fizzle out. She laughed. Loud and hard until tears were leaving a path to her cheeks.

"Laurel?" Her mom said her name with concern and everybody was looking at her as if she had grown another head.

"I'm sorry mom! I also am happy and proud of you really. Perhaps a little jealous too. You've got the hell out of here and you've managed to rebuilt your life away from three selfish people- myself included of course!" She said wiping her eyes.

"I don't understand sweetheart. Are you ok?" Dinah asked confused.

"Laurel, I don't think..." Oliver begun only to be cut off.

"Of course you don't think!" She said heatedly. "You never did! She is back for one week..." She pointed at her sister at the moment "...and you two are back together!" She nearly shouted.

Her dad had had enough and slammed his hand to the table with force.

"Laurel... enough!" He shouted harshly.

"Oh please! You are no better than they are! I mean what did you expect? You would cook chicken one time and she would be back in your arms declaring her undying love after all these years?"

"Laurel enough already!" Sara exclaimed.

"You know what? Enough it is." She stood up and put on her coat. "You all know your way out. Close the door behind you." She said and taking her bag she left the apartment. She didn't make it far. Oliver followed her and he stopped her before she make it to the elevators.

"Hey!" He shouted and she turned to face him furiously.

"You have some nerve. You lecture me to repair the relationship with my sister when you are the one who got it broken in the first place by screwing her and now you do it again!" She wanted so bad to hit him but she reign it in.

"You are right! It is all my fault!" He mocked and she narrowed her eyes.

"No, not all! You just did your part and everything got messed up for a second time around!"

"So whose fault is for losing your job, being a drug addict and drunk? Is it mine or your family's fault. Or perhaps will you blame Tommy for dying?" He asked harshly.

"You are not allowed to talk about Tommy! Because, like the coward that you always were when a tough situation arose, you fled the city! I know it was my choices that got me addicted to drugs and alcohol. I know that it was my fault that Tommy died but at least I had the balls to stay and face it and in the end it got the better of me and I became an addict resulting in me losing my job! At least I know my faults and I have no complex to admit them. I'm not hiding like you do!"

"Hiding? I stood by you through everything! Losing your job, the DUI, your well- being, while all along you were trying to give my mom the death penalty! You are not the only one with family issues... You've no idea what is going on with my family right now... But I'm standing right here!" He saw her looking away from him for a moment and he thought that he got through her somehow until she turned right back at him with a cold expression that he'd never seen on her face again.

"Are you done?" She asked with full intent. Resigned he nodded once.

"Yeah, I'm done. I'm done taking the blame and I'm done caring. Go grub a drink, get wasted... go to Verdant... I'll pay for it. I have loved you for half my life, but I'm done running after you."

"You don't know the first think about love. Don't kid yourself. You only love yourself and your family. Everyone else in the universe is there to fulfill your needs. You came back and pretended to be a friend not because you care for me but because you need forgiveness. Absolution for the things you have done to me and to our relationship, yet once Sara was back you run to her... again! And you dare stand here and talk to me about love! Your hypocrisy has no end! Well, for as long as I live... I will never forgive you. Not you and not her. As for your family... you never came to me with one of your problems! I found out that the DA wants the death penalty and I push Adam to make it 'life'! And now you accuse me of wanting your mother in the chair? And as for the drinking... I haven't had anything in a week. Not drugs, not alcohol... I have as clear a head as it comes. And it is with clarity that I'm telling you right here... right now... that for me... from now on you are both still dead." She leveled him with a glacial look before she continued "Or better yet, continue your life like I don't exist. It won't be difficult for either of you. You did it before with great success."

He stood there watching her walking away from him with steady steps. He didn't know what to do or where all these hurtful words- from both sides- came from. He was worried about all the problems he had but that wasn't a reason to snap at Laurel. He wanted to make her see that what she was doing with drugs and alcohol wasn't the solution at any problems and that despite everything, he was still there to help in any way he could. But he wasn't paying attention tonight or he would have noticed that, like her dad, she was drinking water instead of wine. So after more than a year with a fragile relationship with her since he came back, today they've managed to go back to square one and have Sara with them too. He really didn't know how to fix them anymore...

Nanda Parbat- 1 week later

Nyssa was resting in a small bed at the corner of a very bright bedroom. The Healer had requested for her to be transferred here because the room had a small, private balcony that with some effort she could stand up and walk the few steps there. Nyssa knew that she needed to heal her body but her father made sure that his personal Healer was to be at her side at all times for the duration of her recovery. The door opened and her hand automatically went under the pillow to her loyal dagger that it was _always_ at arm's reach. When she saw that it was the Healer she relax her tender muscles.

"_SabaaH al- khayr_." He wished her good morning upon entering knowing very well about the dagger she had under her pillow.

"_SabaaH an- nuur_." She replied back with the traditional Arabic greeting- _morning of light- _and slowly stood up mindful of her two deep cuts- one at her left shoulder and the other at her abdomen. None of them were flesh wounds. Her father's sword had penetrated her from the front all the way to her back. Some would say she was lucky that no internal organs were hurt but she knew better. There was no luck involved. Her father was so skilled that he knew exactly where to penetrate and at what angle so as to inflict the minimum possible damage. He didn't want to kill her, he wanted to teach her a lesson.

With slow steps- her legs were still a little wobbly from the undernourishment- she approached the small sink to wash her face and made her way to the balcony to let the sun's benignant rays to wash over her. During her demanding training all these years, she had learnt the most precious lesson. To never take anything for granted. And especially the sunlight. After a month in a cold, dark cell she longed to stay as much as she could under the sun. And today was a beautiful day too. The light breeze was welcome in her heated face.

She looked around for a while with one thought in her mind. _One more week before I go back to that place! _She thought not very sure about how she should feel about it. After all that time alone in the dark, with only companion her thoughts, she came to a conclusion that both troubled her and made her sad. Her love for Sara was not as strong as she thought it was...


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: Thank you all for reading. I hope you like it.

I apologize to the Arabic speaker people that perhaps read it and found mistakes with the translation I of the few words I used. I don't know any Arabic words and I have the net to thank for them. So I'm sorry if I butchered your language. It wasn't my intentions.

A big apology to all of you who read the previous chapters and the mistakes you had to endure. I've changed computers and since they were written with the old one I have a small excuse. I've read them again and corrected the ones I saw (there were a lot). How you've read them and didn't complain is a miracle that I cherish. So thank you.

I hope you like this one. It's small and just a filler for the next one where the 'action' begins… Enjoy.

Thank you to all of you who commented. I appreciate it and you keep me writing.

Mjf2468, jane, levi97100, mydinga… you guys rock.

Chapter 3

Starling City- 1 Week later

Laurel was looking around her empty apartment. It was time to say goodbye to her old life. She had no clue what to do from now on but she wasn't overly concerned. She had found her way once, she would do it again. And this time she would do it without anyone else demanding her time and energy like last time. With one last look around she was ready to go when she heard a gasp from the open door. She turned around to see her dad looking around the place as if looking at it would bring the place back to its former condition.

"What happened to your place? Where are all the furniture gone?" He asked genuinely concerned.

"I donated them to the Women's Shelter." She replied with nonchalance.

"You did what?" He was confused. "I didn't know that you would be _that _bothered that we sat on then during that disaster of a dinner a week ago." He joked.

"Well, I thought I would help a good cause since the new owners will bring their own things in a couple of days." She waited for the impact her revelation would have and she wasn't disappointed.

"What?! What new owners? I thought you owned the apartment!" He was in denial and they both knew it.

"I sold it. We signed the papers the day before yesterday. Then yesterday I packed all my personal belongings- clothes, books, my music collection and some personal items I wanted- and had them stored in a unit. It wasn't much really. A few suitcases and duffel bags and some boxes. The rest- furniture, electric devices and the kitchen equipment- I payed a moving company to transfer them to the Women's Shelter storage unit. I hope they will help a woman stand in her own feet one day. I won't need them where I'm going anyway." She whispered the last part as if she was talking more to herself than to her dad. He approached her and turned her to face him.

"What's going on? Where are you going?" He was panicking now.

"Well, I don't know yet, to tell you the truth. I just want to get the hell out of this city." She replied honestly and without much emotion in her voice.

"What the hell Laurel?! I just got your sister back..." He stopped when he saw the anger on her face. "Is that it? Are you leaving because of Sara?" He demanded.

"No. Believe it or not, I'm not leaving for her. But since she is alive and well, I'm done living my life for her and for you. I'm done making decisions that will please others and not myself. It's time I live my life for me. Not you, not Sara. I want for the first time in years to feel like me again and to be able to be on my own two feet without having to lean on you or to hold you up for that matter. I can't exactly forget what happened all these years ago or a week ago but I'm done living in the past. Like I told Oliver, they are both dead to me..." She was cut off again.

"Don't say that! Don't you ever say that again! She is your sister!" He shouted.

"She is your daughter and now you have her back. It's what you wished for, for the last six years or so. My sister on the other hand died in that boat. It's not like I have anything to say to her."

"What happened to you? You were never this harsh before!" He asked shocked.

"Dad, I don't want to be here. I'm stuck in the past. I don't know where she was all these years or what happened to her but she made no effort to contact any of us. There must be a reason for that but, honestly, I don't want to know. It's her life and she made her choices. It's time I do mine. I need to find out who am I and I need to do this away from here. Tommy's gone and I can't be here any longer. What don't you get?" The young woman asked reaching her breaking point.

"Everything!" He replied seriously.

"Well, ok. I don't need you to understand it. I want you to accept it because there is no way back. I've made my mind up." She commented resolutely and with a final glance around she left the apartment behind her as she got out of the door.

The docks- About the same time

The brunette stepped out of the ship scanning the docks for any signs of danger. There was none- they were very careful with the arrangements. She took her suitcase and made her way to the rental car waiting for her a few feet away. Mindful of her injuries- her shoulder and abdomen were still a bit tender- she made it to the driver's seat and sped off.

An hour later, driving through traffic, she made it to her hideout. It had the bare minimum- a mattress a stand and a small fireplace ready to fire it up. She noticed the empty piece of paper on the stand and smiled. The intel from her assassins. She started the fire and kept the small paper above it to read it. _No news regarding_ _al Sa- her, how strange!_ She knew that there was a way to make him come to them but she hoped they wouldn't come to that. Contrary to her reputation, she didn't enjoy torturing people. That was more her dad's doing. She just went along with it to avoid conflict with him. That was why the assassins within the League preferred her from her dad. Yes, they followed him, he was their ultimate leader but if they had given the choice they would die voluntarily for her- no questions asked. So, she hoped that she wouldn't have to use his daughter to make him come out of hiding. Of course that would require the knowledge of the identity of his child. _Oh well, we have nothing but time…_ was her last thoughts on the matter before she opened her suitcase to prepare herself a cup of tea.

As she was enjoying her time alone with a ray of sun washing over her from the crack of the window she heard a noise on her left and her hand went instantly on her loyal dagger- loyal because it had become more of a companion and it never disappointed her in any way so far- before she came face to face with an assassin. She smiled inwardly and retreated her hand.

"_Al- Muwaly._" She said his name in a form of greeting. He was her most loyal follower hence his name "_The Loyal_". He was eight years younger than her. She had found him wandering in the Sahara desert alone after his family's death because of an attack in his caravan by some thieves. He was only eight and she took him in, trained him- as she was training herself- and since then he followed her blindly. He knelt in front of her and bowed his head in a position of respect. "What news have you brought me this time?" She asked knowing that he wouldn't have come empty handed- so to speak.

"She has sold her apartment. She wants to move away from here although she hasn't decided where exactly yet. She had a couple of arguments with her family since Ta- er al Sahfer came back. She said both to her dad and Mr. Queen that she considers them both dead." He said with his deep voice. What surprised her was the lack of flicker in her body muscles once she heard Sara's name. In the not so distant past she would feel her whole body tensing with pain. Now it was gone…

The news were interesting to say the least. Unexplainable was the fact that she felt the need to meet Laurel Lance. She had heard so many things from her sister the previous years that she intrigued her. For an unknown reason she also wanted to apologize- in a way- for poisoning her in her last visit to the city. Granted she only gave the order but still… She formed a plan in her head quickly and share it with the young Tuareg. He nodded once he had his orders and left her alone once again. It was time for a face to face meeting with a certain Ms. Lang...


End file.
